


Imperfect Harmony

by Veresiine



Category: World of Warcraft
Genre: Gen, Humor
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-12
Updated: 2019-04-19
Packaged: 2019-10-08 21:47:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,520
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17394284
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Veresiine/pseuds/Veresiine
Summary: WoW-flavored OC shenanigans.May wants to get a musical group together, and Felix gets dragged into their plan. Just a few problems; not only are many of the members on opposite sides of the faction war, they have their own personal vendettas against each other. To top it all off, Felix is not familiar with leadership in any capacity. Can he get and hold the group together without losing his own mind?





	1. The Plan

"Okay," Felix started, pacing over to the wall. "Let's go over this again, from the top." He turned around and started walking in the opposite direction. "You want me to do WHAT!?" At the emphasized word, he turned to May, slicing his hands across the air.

  
"Get Verk and Eres and everybody we knew in Dalaran together so we can do a holiday concert."

  
"Listen, May, this might be the _stupides_ t idea you've ever had, which is really saying something, since the _last_ idea you had got us captured by the FORSAKEN."

  
"Yeah, but we got free."

  
"You blew up a PLAGUE TANK."

  
"That one guy really seemed to like you, though."

  
"A. PLAGUE. TANK. We could have died. _Worse_ than died! And I really, really, _really_ could have gone my _whole_ life without someone trying to recruit me into the _Royal Apothecary Society_." Felix shuddered.

  
"Hey, all's well that ends well. Anyway, pleeeaaaasseee?"

  
"May, you're an _adult_ now. You can just ask them yourself. As for me, I do not want to be anywhere in spellcasting distance of Verkira for the rest of my life."

  
"Oh, come on, she's all bark and no bite."

  
"Only because Eresiine has her on a leash." And Felix was grateful for that.

  
"Yeah, so ask Eresiine to bring Verk along!"

  
"Eresiine is almost always surrounded by no fewer than three angry, judgmental paladins. Verkira is not the only problem here!" Felix huffed. "Please, just ask them yourself. I'm of no help here."

  
"Yeah, but Verk hates me."

  
"And you think she _doesn't_ hate _me_!? Besides, she doesn't hate you. She's _mad_ at you, but she doesn't _hate_ you."

  
"How can you tell?"

  
"'May, I don't want to do this', 'May, I'm sorry, but you've forced my hand', 'May, I see what you were trying to do, but by the Sunwell, _why_ would you do this to me?' has a very different energy from 'I'm sparing your life because death is too good for a spineless little weasel like you'."

  
"Yeah, I guess you're right. I'll go see if I can track her down."

  
" _Before_ you do that, did you even stop to consider if any of them have any musical ability? And why a concert, of all things?"

  
"Because it seems like a great way to bring everyone together! And I know Verk used to play the flute, because Marelan mentioned it once. Tel said it was cute and girly, so Verk hit her with a hammer."

  
"... Okay." That was a very difficult statement to follow up on, even for May.

  
"And Onoras was trying to see if he could get Eresiine to play the harp at his store, so I'm pretty sure she can do that."

  
" _Trying_ to see. I'm guessing she turned him down. And if she wasn't willing to play for a guy she's known for literally forever --"

  
"Not _literally_."

  
"Fine, _figuratively_ forever, I stand corrected." Felix desperately wanted to slam his head against the wall. "If she won't play for him, what makes you think she'll play for you?"

  
"I won't also ask her to wear a skimpy dress?" Right. Felix had forgotten about that. Of course Eresiine would turn down Onoras if he was trying to use her for sex appeal.

  
"All right, fair. So you could ask her. But just because she can _play_ the harp doesn't mean she _has_ one or has _access_ to one."

  
"Well, Onoras does, and we could ask him. For the harp, _and_ for his participation. I think he sings. At least, I _think_ the voice coming from the jewelry shop at 3 AM was him."

  
"Um."

  
"I think he's still in Dalaran, actually! I saw him the other day. Maybe I should ask him first?"

  
"Maybe?" Onoras seemed easygoing and good-natured enough. He'd probably indulge May. Unfortunately, that was exactly what Felix _didn't_ want -- one willing participant would just increase their momentum and drive to gather everyone else.

  
"Let's see, who else... oh! Oli!"

  
"You do realize that she's a part of M.A.R.E. and you're a wizard, right?"

  
"Pfft, that's not a big deal! We're friends!"

  
"You sat at the same table at the coffee shop _once_ and didn't try to kill one another."

  
"I mean, in this day and age, that counts as friendship, right? Plus, she knows Eres too."

  
"Yes, and Eresiine basically told her 'don't talk to me or my children ever again'."

  
"Yeah, but that was _before_ we found out she was Quendri's aunt."

  
"She's... wait... what?" A human with the worgen curse and a night elf? How did that even work? And Oli couldn't be much older than twenty, so how...?

  
"So Oli's a druid, right?"

  
"Right."

  
"So she can go into the Emerald Dream, right?"

  
"Right."

  
"Quendri's mom is there. They chat sometimes. Oli passes on messages."

  
"Ah. That makes sense. But it doesn't make them related."

  
"Eh, close enough." May shrugged.

  
"How do you even know all this, anyway?"

  
"I keep notes on people."

  
"Of _course_ you do." Felix should have known better when normally make-it-up-as-they-went-along May started taking notes. He had been too optimistic in assuming that being in a city of magi had encouraged them to actually take their magical studies seriously. No, of course May was keeping notes on _people_ , not their work.

  
"And Jez has been teaching me some tricks for sneaking around."

  
"Jez?"

  
"You know, troll rogue, around my age, likes bad puns?"

  
"Not ringing a bell."

  
"White hair, mohawk, braids? Gave you a pie for your birthday?"

  
"Was that the blueberry pie that you ate three quarters of?"

  
"... Maaaaaybe? So yeah, I think I should go talk to Onoras first! And you go ask Eresiine?"

  
"... May. How much thought have you given this? Do you even have a piece in mind? Do you have any idea what organizing a concert entails?"

  
"No, but it's fine, I'm sure we'll figure something out! After all, we always do."

  
"We are alive today through sheer dumb luck, and _in spite_ of your ideas, not because of them."

  
"Oh, relax, we're not even going into hostile territory this time. We're just going to talk to a few people."

  
"Why is it always 'we'? Why am I always a part of this?"

  
"Because my parents pay you to be?"

  
"I haven't actually gotten paid in three years, thanks," Felix grumbled, then abruptly remembered _why_. He brought his hand up to cover his mouth. Meanwhile, May was doing puppy eyes. _Damn it all. I'm going to have to go through with this to make it up to them, aren't I?_


	2. The Blood Elves

"What do you want from us, human?" If Felix were a turtle, he would have retreated into his shell and never come out. Unfortunately, he was a human, and had nothing to hide behind, unless he somehow managed to backflip over his desk. And after tweaking his back trying to get May down from the ceiling the other day, he wasn't feeling it. He'd just have to face his doom head-on.

  
"Um, h-hi, Lady Dawy--"

  
"Verk. My name is _Verk_. Now state your business." Normally, being told to use a more informal form of address would reassure him. But not with Verkira. Nothing about Verkira was _ever_ reassuring.

  
"I was, um, uh..." He couldn't stall for time. Stalling just meant more time he had to look at a holographic projection of Verkira looking as though she wanted nothing more than to slice his head off. "I was h-hoping to t-talk to Eresiine."

  
"Yeah, well, tough luck. She's busy."

  
"Is there, uh, a time when she, uh, won't be?"

  
"I don't know. When the war's over, maybe? I'm not her secretary."

  
"You might as well be, though." Another person, one Felix didn't immediately recognize, stepped into the range of the holographic projector.

  
"Tel, get out of here! How many times have I told you to get out of my room when I'm doing things?"

  
"It's my room too, I'll have you know."

  
"And mine," a third person who Felix couldn't see spoke up.

  
"Anyway, hi, human. What business did you have with our anchorite, anyhow? If this is yet another message about the conference in Stormwind Cathedral next month, no, she is not going, and you can't make her." Felix decided he liked this 'Tel' person. Better than Verk, anyhow.

  
"Tel, _I was talking to him_. And what the hell are you thinking? Felix isn't a priest! He's like, as close to the opposite of a priest as you can get."

  
"I thought that was _me_ ," Tel protested. "Besides, he has that... _look_ about him. And I mean, what other kind of human would you be associating with, as a paladin?"

  
"I don't _want_ to associate with him. That's the thing!"

  
"Yeah, and you don't want to associate with me, either, yet here I am."

  
"And _again_ , get out of my room!"

  
"This is also _my_ room. I have every right to be here."

  
"Come on, you two, it's way too early for this," the third voice complained.

  
"Mar, it's five thirty. That's not 'way too early' for anything," Verkira grumbled. Felix suddenly recognized the names from May's mention of them earlier, and with that, he remembered that Eresiine wasn't the only person he was supposed to contact.

  
He could ask her, he supposed.

  
Or he could keep stalling and watch the situation unfold.

  
... Well, he had nothing to lose, and Tel seemed to like him. Maybe. A little.

  
"So, um, uh..." Felix started, before he thought better of it.

  
"Right. You were calling for something. So what was it?" Tel asked.

  
"Tel this is _my_ call!"

  
"You're answering with Eresiine's crystal, and she never officially designated one of us to take calls for her. So. Human. Talk." It was too late to back out now. He had two elves staring at him, and a favor he owed to May.

  
"M-May wanted to, uh, get kind of a, um, orchestra? Together. For, uh, the holidays."

  
"May? Wasn't he the one who --" Tel started.

  
"They," Verk corrected.

  
"Right, sorry, they. Weren't they the one who was following Eresiine around for a bit and you were also tutoring for a while?" Tel asked.

  
"One and the same. And they _do_ know that most of the major holidays have passed, right?"

  
"I mean, it's May, so..." Felix winced.

  
"Fair. So. Orchestra. And you wanted Eresiine, right?"

  
"W-well, anyone, really. They want to get as many people together as they can. May mentioned that you, uh, you play the flute?"

  
"I can, yes." Verk's voice was guarded.

  
"Would you, uh, like to?"

  
"Would I like to? Not really. But if it's for May, I just might."

  
"Please, if you want a proper orchestra, you're going to need to do better than Verk. And you're going to need some strings," Tel spoke up.

  
"Um?" That was about as articulate as Felix was going to get, it seemed.

  
"I'll have you know that not only do I play the violin, I am _good_ at what I do. Unlike Verk. And if you want as many people as you can get, count me in. I need something to distract me from the fact that I'm surrounded by these --" Tel paused for a second "-- _lovely_ individuals."

  
"Er, sure, that sounds good, I guess." May would probably be thrilled. Felix, on the other hand, was feeling creeping dread that against all odds, this plan seemed to be coming together.

  
"Is this going to be a girls' night out, or can I join in, too?" The third voice asked.

  
"It's not just girls?" Felix said, feeling a little bit offended.

  
"Huh? Mar, you want in?" Verk asked.

  
"But do you even play an instrument?" Tel asked.

  
"Not _well_ , but I do sing," Mar explained. Felix suddenly felt a little bit skeptical. Mar had that demon hunter voice, which probably wouldn't lend itself well to anything outside of a few niche genres.

  
"Are you kidding me?" Tel asked, evidently thinking the same thing Felix was.

  
"I'll have you know that he won the Thalassian Guard Union's singing competition nineteen years in a row!" Verk protested.

  
"Not in a row; the eighth year I only won the men's, not the overall."

  
"That's still great! But wasn't that, uh, before the whole, um, demon hunter thing?" Felix asked.

  
"Oh, yeah, the demon hunter thing is a fake," Verk shrugged.

  
"I just got used to talking like that to fit in. I'm not _actually_ a demon hunter -- _and thanks for reminding me, Verk_ \-- so it's just habit at this point rather than any real physical changes." Felix almost didn't recognize the voice as Mar's. He sounded like a normal elf, with only the occasional crack. "I'm still perfectly capable."

  
"Come to think of it, even if you aren't, there's magic for that," Tel said, stroking her chin, though Felix couldn't help but notice that two of her fingers brushed her throat instead. "So, count us all in?"

  
"Uh, sure."

  
Even if he hadn't gotten a hold of Eresiine, things were actually working out.

  
Felix was doomed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no idea when I'll get around to writing a chapter 3 (I have 4 other writing projects going on at the moment) but I hope you enjoyed what I've posted so far!
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	3. The New Plan and the Priest

"So, Verk, Tel, and Mar are going? Great!" May looked so enthusiastic that Felix almost hoped they'd forget about asking Eresiine. "And Onoras says he can go, too!" That was five people. This had a chance of getting off the ground.

  
Felix couldn't have that. He'd go down fighting. Or, at least, as close to fighting as he ever got.

  
"So, have you even considered what piece you want to play? And you do realize that, even if we get everyone together, by the time everyone is all ready to perform, it will be long past the holidays."

  
"You know, you're right! How about we perform for Pride, instead?"

  
"... Um. May, you do realize, not everyone is --"

  
"And we could all be wearing our respective flags! It'll be great!"

  
"How about, some of us aren't ready to be out yet, thanks," Felix grumbled.

  
"I mean, _you_ don't have to, since you don't play anything, right?"

  
"I wasn't just talking about me! Besides, I'm pretty sure at least some of the people we've asked or are going to ask --" and he'd damned himself out of his own mouth. He could only hope May wouldn't notice and would focus on the other things he was saying, instead. "-- are straight. Some might not even be allies!"

  
"Oh, psssh, no one I have on the list is straight."

  
"... You made a list." Felix felt dread trickle down his spine. It didn't matter if he'd mentioned asking other people or not. No, May was _organized_ for once.

  
"Yep! And next on the list is... wait! You still didn't ask Eresiine, right? Why don't you do that right now?"

  
"I couldn't ask her because she was busy. I doubt that's changed."

  
"Hey, you never know. I mean, she can't be busy _all_ the time, can she? Like, yeah, being a single mom can be exhausting, and so can being a priest, and so can --"

  
"-- Dealing with Verk."

  
"Yeah, that's super time-consuming! But she has to have _some_ free time, otherwise she wouldn't lecture others about the importance of it!"

  
"Have you ever heard of 'do as I say not as I do'?"

  
"Of course I have, given how often you pull that on me!"

  
"Hey! I'm not that much of a hypocrite, am I?"

  
"You are for pie."

  
"... That's fair, I guess." Felix rubbed his stomach. "So, you really need to figure out more logistics before you rope in too many more people."

  
"Why bother planning logistics when life is inevitably going to mess up our plans?"

  
"You realize we only _have_ this problem because you _insist_ on taking the most dangerous route possible to _anything_."

  
"Heh, maybe. And on that note..." _Oh dear Light why, what are they up to this time,_ "... how about we contact Eresiine directly?"

  
"What."

  
"So you couldn't get a hold of her with the crystal, right?"

  
"Right."

  
"Well, I'm a wizard."

  
"I am aware of this."

  
"So... how about we open up a direct line to her location?"

  
"May, _no_ , and stop saying 'we'!" It was no use. May was already casting, and Felix knew better than to interrupt a mage in the middle of their spell. Especially a young, distractable mage. _Why do things like this always happen to me? ... Right. I'm the bodyguard of this_ idiot. _At least things can't possibly get more awkward than they already are_.

  
After a few moments, a blurry image of a small room appeared. Felix could see Eresiine's back as she sat at her desk.

  
"Mothe -- Teariina, if I've told you once, I've told you a million times. _Stop_ popping up without warning!" Eresiine didn't even turn around. _Oh, Light, I should have known better than to think it couldn't get more awkward. Thinking that is_ always _just a recipe for disaster_.

  
"It's not Tear! It's us!" And leave it to May to make things _even worse_. Eresiine, to her credit, didn't startle. She stood up and turned around at a normal, leisurely pace, as if strange wizards poked holes in reality leading to her room every day.

  
"Ah, May. Felix. What can I do for you two today?" _If you could use your priest mind tricks to make me dread each passing day a little less, that would be great_ , Felix thought, but held his tongue.

  
"So, I'm getting together a group of people to perform for Pride, and I wanted to know if you coul -- Oh! The pizza!" May clapped their hands together and darted off towards the kitchen. A second later, Felix caught the scent of smoke. _Right. I'd forgotten about the oven. But what a time to leave me alone like this!_

  
"... They haven't settled down one bit now that they're officially a member of the Kirin Tor, have they?" Eresiine asked Felix. He winced.

  
"Nope. And, uh sorry about the invasion of privacy, y-you know, wizards..."

  
"I do know. This happens all the time." Eresiine sighed. "So. Performance?"

  
"Yeah, they're thinking of a concert or something? And we heard you could play the harp, so..."

  
"What's the dress code?" Eresiine sounded almost as tired as Felix felt. He got the distinct impression that Onoras asking her to perform in a skimpy dress wasn't an isolated incident.

  
"Uh, we're going to, uh..." He hadn't actually thought of that, nor had he thought to ask May what they had in mind beyond pride flags. Oh, well. He'd take charge for once. "White top, black bottom."

  
"Do skirts work?"

  
"Yeah, sure!"

  
"Very well." She seemed to be seriously considering the prospect. Felix was torn between wanting to convince her to _not_ to go along with May's plan so it had less chance of success, and, oddly enough, not wanting her to be disappointed in him. _She's not_ my _mom! Why am I like this?_

  
"And, uh, May wants us to wear our pride flags, so I think... as neckties? Yeah, that'll work."

  
"Which pride flag?" _Okay. Either she doesn't get it, or..._ "Two apply to me."

  
"Either or! Maybe both, if you could manage it."

  
"I have some idea. We are allowed whatever style of necktie we wish, correct?"

  
"Uh, sure!"

  
"Oh, so you're going! Great!" May burst back in the room with one oven mitt still on and the other under their arm. "See, Felix? I told you she wasn't too busy!"

  
"I never said --" Eresiine started, then broke off, sighed, and facepalmed. "When is it? I'll mark my calendar."


	4. The Vindicators

"... May. Go to bed." Two AM was far too late to be awake. Or far too early. Felix had to stop after saying that to rub his eyes so he could actually _see_ May there, sitting at their desk.

  
"Nuh-uh! I'm an adult, I can stay up as late as I want!" _You just turned eighteen four months ago! You're practically still a kid!_

  
"Fine. But at least _stop shining the light under my door_ so _I_ can sleep!"

  
"Okay, I will." May waved their hand and dimmed one of the three colored light orbs on the desk. "But I don't see why you're so worried. You sleep too much."

  
"Ten hours is a reasonable amount of sleep!" _Especially given the amount of crap I put up with!_ "What's so important it can't wait until morning, anyway?" Felix highly doubted May was _actually_ doing any sort of important Kirin Tor business, but it wouldn't hurt to ask. Maybe they _were_ being responsible for once.

  
"Trying to get an idea what kind of instruments we have to work with and what we need."

  
"May, while I'm glad you're actually putting more _thought_ into this than just "let's recruit people and it will work itself out", this is not important enough to merit staying up all night for. If you fall asleep during your shift again, I am going to spray you with a water bottle."

  
"Go ahead. I'll be fine. I have to sort this out before I see Oli again tomorrow."

  
"Oli? Is she participating, too, then?"

  
"Not _yet_ , officially. So far I've just asked her if she could find a piece for some specific instrumentation, and she said it would be a good learning exercise for her, but the sooner she knows what she's looking for, the better."

  
"Um, call me crazy, but don't you as a mage have some sort of library-searching system? Or at least _someone_ in the Kirin Tor would? Better than a druid, at least?" Felix's old master had had a function to search his private library with, after all, though Felix did sometimes wonder if that was another one of the forbidden arts he wasn't supposed to talk about.

  
Come to think of it, everything in his life before the age of seventeen was something he wasn't supposed to talk about. Not that silence helped, of course. Verk had still found him and held him accountable. Those Forsaken apothecaries had still recognized him and _tried to recruit him_.

  
"I don't know? I figure, maybe, druid, trees, paper, book?"

  
"Maybe. Well, it's good you're thinking about more details, but you should probably get to bed --" Felix noticed May starting to pout, and continued, "-- as soon as you finish. And maybe after work tomorrow, you can work on setting a date, and then telling the people we've already asked any new information and details as we have them."

  
"Right! And the dress code you figured out?"

  
"Exactly. Things like that."

  
"We haven't told the elves yet, have we?" Felix strongly suspected that the 'we' meant 'you'. He took a step back and swallowed.

  
"Eresiine _probably_ told them. W-we don't have to contact them again _just_ yet."

  
"But we _should_. And with time zones and everything, now should be a good time for them. I'm busy with this, do you mind --"

  
"May, no, absolutely not. I need sleep, not nightmare-inducing social hell."

  
"You talked to them before! And Verk didn't try to bite your head off! Marelan didn't, either!"

  
"I think Verk would have liked to, but Tel stopped her. And as for Marelan... I don't think he's mean to _anyone_."

  
"Tell that to the owner of the coffee shop he got banned from for scaring customers."

  
"Are you sure it wasn't another Marelan? He can't be the only one with that name. There are --" Urk. _Were_. "-- A lot of elves."

  
"Pretty sure! Maybe I'll ask him the next time I see him."

  
"May, NO," Felix said, then paused. "Actually, yes. You ask him when you contact him and tell him about the dress code."

  
"I see what you're up to. But come on, it can't be that bad, just get it over with." _Talking to me like I'm the kid here! Ugh, they just don't_ understand _what it's like..._   "Scrying portal worked great last time, so let me just --"

  
"No." Felix's protest, as usual, came too late. May was already casting, so Felix could do nothing but stand there and accept his fate or perhaps make a last-minute retreat to his room. Unable to decide between the two, he ended up frozen in place anyway as the spell finished.

  
"Come on, boss, it's cute! It looks good on you." That was definitely not Eresiine's voice.

  
"I. Am. A. VINDICATOR! A guardian of the Light. Not some Azerothian nature-worshiper!" Felix shifted position slightly so he could see -- of course May had cast the portal at the wrong orientation. It seemed two of those draenei paladins who always followed Eresiine around were setting up a table for a meal. Felix couldn't remember their names, but the grumpy one with dark hair and one severed tendril had wildflowers braided into his hair, and the cheerful one with blue hair and a curly mustache had a wicked grin on his face.

  
"It does look good on you, Rataalis!" May. Ever the picture of tact. "Did Quendri do that for you?"

  
"Who goes there!?" Rataalis dropped his bundle of silverware to draw his hammer and his shield, in the process taking down about a half-dozen origami ornaments hanging from the ceiling. The other draenei caught one as it fell and started trying to fix the damage caused.

  
"It's just us," May said. "Have you seen Eresiine?"

  
"And we're sorry about barging in like this," Felix said, with a pointed glance at May, who ignored him.

  
"She's on an errand with Quendri right now. What's so important you're ignoring every single rule of etiquette?" Rataalis relaxed slightly but kept his weapons drawn.

  
"We wanted to make sure that she told the elves about the updates to the concert dress code," May explained.

  
"Concert? Dress code? Is that why I've been asked three times over the past week to contact Onoras to fix the warlock's violin?" Rataalis asked.

  
"And are you setting something like this up without us?" The other draenei asked.

  
"I mean, the more the merrier! Do you guys want in?" May asked.

  
"Ignoring your gross disregard for privacy, decency, and everything else good in the world..." Rataalis sighed. "We would need more details."

  
"It's for Pride! And as kind of a get-together, since we haven't really hung out that much since the Legion invaded, and --" _Reminding two draenei about the Legion. Great_. "-- and Eresiine and the elves are going. Felix, what's the dress code again?"

  
"White top, black bottom, necktie is your pride flag. Or flags, if more than one apply." If Felix stuck to the facts and nothing else, maybe it would be a little less scary. Maybe. The two draenei looked at each other.

  
"Well, we don't have anything more important to do, boss," the one with blue hair pointed out.

  
"... I'll allow it." Rataalis sighed.

  
"So, what instruments do you two play?"

  
"I play the tuba; he plays the cello."

  
"Excellent! I'll let Oli know, then!" May wrote something down on the paper in front of them.

  
Maybe having enough people there would provide enough of a buffer that Felix wouldn't have to interact with Verk. Maybe he could even slip away and hide under something.

  
Surely there were more people he could ask, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!  
> Next update will be whenever I feel like it. I currently have 5 other writing projects going.


End file.
